Research has found that volunteering makes people happier and less anxious and improves their sense of well-being and accomplishment, among other benefits. Volunteering at the Art Guild of Louisiana is an easy and gratifying way to “give back”. As a member of AGL your volunteer hours are paramount to the ongoing operations and services we provide. As little as three hours every 2-4 months on the exhibit team goes a long way. Many volunteer tasks can be accomplished in the comfort of your home, on your schedule. Check out how easy it is to participate in the following volunteer areas.
Volunteering for any specific area does not commit a member to doing all of the tasks within that area. All activities or volunteer areas are generally accomplished by a team of members supporting each other so that no volunteer stands without support from other volunteers and/or Board Members/Chair people. If you have questions regarding any of the volunteer areas contact the Guild via the form below. Give us the opportunity to discuss how you can fit on one of our volunteer teams.
Membership
Membership tasks include entering member info on the Guild computer. The majority of applications are received during the first four months of the year.
Volunteers are also needed to help in setting up/closing down the Studio for member meetings which are held on a Sunday afternoon from 2:00 – 4:00pm at the Studio in the Park. We have two to three member meetings spread out through the year. Volunteers will be contacted prior to a meeting to determine volunteer availability.Newsletter / Publicity
Participate in collecting information and writing articles for the newsletter, “NEWS from the PALETTE”. Forwarding your information/articles to the newsletter chair/publisher. Although there are certain deadlines that must be met, work can be completed on your time schedule from your home. The newsletter is published every other month so the time invested can be only a few hours every two months. Experience using Microsoft word and email is needed.
Assist with writing articles and forwarding information to various media for publishing to promote Guild exhibits and workshops. Coordination and accomplishment of these tasks can be done via email/phone from your home.Workshops
Participate in coordination of workshops as a team member of the Workshop Committee. The Workshop Committee normally meets once every two months at the Studio in the Park. Actual tasks for coordinating a workshop are completed in the comfort of your home. It is helpful to have basic knowledge using email and Microsoft Word on the computer.River Road Show
Participate as a team member in organizing and conducting the annual national River Road Show exhibit and reception held at the Louisiana State Archives building. The exhibit is normally hung in August. There are typically two planning meetings that occur at the Studio in the Park. The remainder of the coordination generally takes place via emails/phone.
We also need really need people who will step up to chair this exhibit/reception. The position of Chairman is guided by a preset timetable and an established “best practice” list of tasks developed from past years. The Chairman is far from alone in this endeavor. There is plenty of advisory support based on prior years and a host of volunteers who support them at every level.Exhibits
Volunteering to work with exhibits is fun, and on an as needed/as available basis. A team of approximately 5-10 volunteers for each exhibit is led by the Exhibit Coordinator(s).
The Guild sponsors six exhibits at the Independence Park Theatre Gallery in Baton Rouge throughout the year rotating every two months. Take-in for an exhibit is on the second Thursday of every other month beginning in January, from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. Related tasks are greeting artists, registering artwork, creating hang tags, and tagging artwork. The crew that hangs the exhibit takes over at 1:00 until all paintings are hung (usually a couple hours depending on how many paintings are entered). Volunteers may opt to work either morning or afternoon shift, or participate for the whole process.
Occasionally we get additional exhibit opportunities at venues around Baton Rouge such as restaurants, hospitals, libraries, and other public buildings. Exhibit coordinators maintain a list of members who volunteer to work on exhibits and contact volunteers prior to each take-in date as needed.Finance
The Treasurer responsibilities have been portioned out so that the Treasurer is supported by a “financial team” comprised of approximately four volunteers. Each volunteer is responsible for an individual task such as bank deposits, data entry or Paypal reconciliation. The tasks must be completed on the computer at the Studio in the Park except for the PayPal reconciliation which can be completed on your home computer. Each of these tasks support the Treasurer in preparing financial reports to be presented to the Board every two months. Although tasks must be completed timely each month for the Treasurer’s reports to the Board, the hours, (time, day, date) a volunteer works are flexible and are determined by the Treasurer and each individual volunteer.Studio in the Park
The Studio in the Park, located at 2490 Silverest Ave in Baton Rouge (BREC Cedarcrest Park), is a well-lighted and equipped space available to members as studio workspace. As a volunteer for open studio you would serve on a team of other volunteers available to serve as backup to open/close studio. This is not a regular weekly or monthly commitment. It is an as needed opportunity perhaps as few as 3-4 times a year. It is a great time to network with other artists and get feedback on work if you choose. We strive to have open studio on Tuesdays (watermedia only – no oil painters) and Wednesdays (all media) from 11:00 am – 4:00 pm and Sundays (all media) from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm. Stop by the studio during an open studio; meet the artists and find out for yourself what a great workspace it is.
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